Q. What shortstop
had more assists in the National League than anyone else in the history of that
position?
Hint: He led the
majors in games played and plate appearances the year labor disputes cost the
majors 713 games.
Hint: The only
player ahead of him with more games at shortstop who has never played another
position, is in the Hall of Fame.
- Had 8,375 A @ SS. The current NL leader is Brandon Crawford w/3,239.
- Louis Aparicio
played 2,581 G @ SS & nowhere else. Ozzie played 2,511 @ SS & nowhere
else & is also, of course, in the Hall of Fame as well. Derek Jeter has more games at SS, 2,674,
but he also “played” DH.
FCR - Richard Masson,
Lexington, Kentucky
Incorrect guesses: Barry
Larkin, Cal Ripken, Omar Vizquel, Larry Bowa, Ozzie Guillen, Rabbit Maranville,
Don Kessinger, Dave Concepcion
TUESDAY
Q. Who is the
only American League shortstop to win more than one Most Valuable Player Award?
Hint: He holds the
league record for winning MVPs the most years apart.
Hint: He was the
Grand Marshall of the Fiesta Bowl parade in the off-season once during the
height of his career.
- MVPs 1983 & 1991. Most years between MVPs since the BBWAA took
over the voting. Otherwise Walter
Johnson (1913 & 1924) and Lou Gehrig (1927 & 1936) would have longer
MVP gaps.
FCR - Jerry Miller, Liberty Hill, Texas
Incorrect guesses: Alex Rodriguez, Robin Yount, Lou Boudreau,
Derek Jeter
WEDNESDAY
Q. What former Oakland A’s player’s record
for career bases-on-balls by a National Leaguer did Barry Bonds break?
Hint: Once, after joining a new team, he
proceeded to lead the league in on-base percentage four out his first five seasons,
twice leading the majors.
Hint: It’s not a stretch to say that he was the
best player on the best team in the history of the majors.
- Morgan retired with 1,865 BB, 1,799 of which
were in the NL. Bonds now leads all
players with 2,558, all done in the NL.
Morgan’s last year as a player, 1984, was spent with Oakland.
- Joined CIN in 1972 and led the NL in OBP in
’72 & ’74, leading the majors in ’75 & ’76.
- In 1976, the Cincinnati Reds won their
division by 10 G over a very good Dodgers team, then went undefeated in the
postseason, never done before or since in the Division era. Morgan led the majors in multiple offensive
categories and was a clear choice for MVP.
Finishing behind him were 3 teammates out of the next 7
vote-getters. Bill James contends that Morgan
is the best second baseman of all time.
FCR - Steve Harmon, Sacramento
Incorrect
guesses: Willie McCovey, Ricky Henderson,
Dave Parker, Gene Tenace, Jason Giambi, Mark McGwire, Bert Campaneris,
Rogers Hornsby
THURSDAY
Q. What one-time White Sox infielder was
the first Blue Jay to homer from both sides of the plate in the same game?
Hint: He has the fourth best season batting
average ever for the Baltimore Orioles.
Hint: A year after twice leading the league in
errors at his position, he won the Gold Glove Award at his position.
- On 10-May-1991 Alomar hit a home run at
SkyDome off Bobby Thigpen, a righty, to tie the
score in the 9th inning. Then
in the 11th, he took Scott Radinsky, a lefty, deep to tie
the game again. However, TOR lost on a
12th-inning HR by young Sammy Sosa.
- His .333 in 1997 trails only Melvin Mora, Cal
Ripken and Al Bumbry for the O’s since 1954.
FCR - Jesse Asbury, Norman, Oklahoma
Incorrect
guesses: Chipper Jones, Bobby Bonilla,
Eddie Murray, Miguel Tejada
FRIDAY
Q. Who entered the Hall of Fame the same
day as a former teammate, native to his same state, but fifteen years his
senior.
Hint: They also played the same position!
Hint: He only played for one major league team and
in one home park, but now works for the team at their new location.
Hint: The newer of those stadiums boasts not one,
but two statues of him.
- Inducted into HoF in 1983 with former teammate
George Kell. They were teammates w/BAL
1956-57. Brooks got 14 & 47 G @ 3rd
those seasons. Kell got 97 & 80.
- Played for BAL 1955-1977 at Memorial Stadium which housed them
1954-1991. Brooks is now a Special Advisor to the Orioles.
- His statue within the gates of
Oriole Park at Camden Yards is located in Statue Garden with similar likenesses
of 5 other Oriole Hall of Famers, to wit, Jim Palmer, Frank Robinson, Eddie Murray, Cal Ripken and Earl Weaver.. Just outside the gates, but still on the
stadium site is a statue of Babe Ruth.
However, immediately across the street from the stadium is a statue of Brooks
that you’ll have to see to understand why it is so apt and unlike the others. Click here (…or call me up when
you are in Baltimore and we’ll go see it together.)
FCR - Jerry Miller, Liberty Hill, Texas)
Incorrect
guesses: Al Kaline, Stan Musial, Kirby Puckett,
Ozzie Smith, Chipper Jones, Bob Uecker, George Bell
SATURDAY
Q. Which 300-game-winning pitcher still
needed 269 of those by the time he reached the age of 30?
Hint: In his 24-season sojourn in the majors,
this one-time Cleveland Indian only had three 20-game winning seasons.
Hint: At the height of his career, he won the Lou
Gehrig Award then the Roberto Clemente Award in successive seasons.
- Had turned 25 two weeks before his major
league debut.
- Won 23 in 1969, 20 in ’74 & 21 in ’79.
- He spent 21 seasons w/The Braves but also
played for NYY, CLE & TOR.
FCR - David Serota, Kalamazoo
Incorrect
guesses: Randy Johnson, Gaylord Perry,
Early Wynn, Jamie Moyer, Orel Hershiser, Don Sutton
SUNDAY
Q. Who was the first player from a National
League expansion team to win an MVP, Cy Young or Rookie of the Year Award?
Hint: He recently had to flee fires.
Hint: His father was a member of the US Walker Cup
golf team.
- He won the NL Rookie of the Year for the New
York Mets in 1967.
- He and his wife had to abandon their northern
California home as out-of-control brush fires and forest
fires
threatened their home in 2017.
FCR - Ken Kirk, Corning, New York
Incorrect
guesses: A.J. Burnett, Rusty Staub
WEEKLY THEME – Former
players now on the Hall of Fame’s Board of Directors.
Alomar
Morgan
Niekro
Ripken
Robinson
Seaver*
Smith
*Honorary
First
Correct Respondent to Identify Theme – Randall Chandler, Germantown,
Tennessee
Incorrect theme
guesses:
Tuesday - HOF
short stops who played their entire career with one team
- HOF
or MVP shortstops
- HOF
shortstops who played over 2000 games
- HOF’ers
who played for one team their entire career
Wed - HOF
infielders who won a World Series
- HOF
infielders who won a Golden Glove
- HOF
infielders who won a Silver Slugger
- HOF
infielders who won a World Series, Golden Glove and Silver Slugger
- Top
middle infielders of the 70s and 80s
Thurs - Middle
infielders in the Hall of Fame
- Expansion
(1961-) middle infielders in HOF
Fri - Oriole
HOFers
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